Manawatū resident Anne van-Brunt has found a new lease of life engaging in the Pohangina community

Anne van-Brunt does book repairs at the Palmerston North Repair Cafe.

Originally from the United States, Anne van-Brunt came to New Zealand in 1991 when her husband got a job at Massey University. She stayed, and says it is a lovely place to live with a great climate and a nice lifestyle.

When her two children left home, van-Brunt was keen to find something to be involved with, and volunteering was a natural step.

Her family has always been involved in the community. “The way I was brought up is that if you have the time and capacity, then doing volunteer work is something you should do to give back to the community you live in. It enriches you and the community.”

Van-Brunt realised that through working in Palmerston North all her professional life and her kids going to school there, she had not made connections where she lived. So, she sought a volunteer role within her own rohe of Pohangina.

The Society for the Resilience and Engagement of the Community of Ashhurst and Pohangina (Recap) ticked all the boxes, and she has been on its board for 12 years, 10 years as secretary.

She has met so many good people.

“I’m finding out more about the local community, which has been really empowering.”

Volunteering has taught her that change can happen, which is a great life lesson.

Anne van-Brunt does book repairs at the Palmerston North Repair Cafe.

Van-Brunt is also an active member of the Palmerston North Repair Cafe Committee and a volunteer book repairer at its monthly events.

She was a book repairer at Massey University Library for more than 20 years, and enjoys the Repair Cafe as it enables her to use the skills she gained in her professional life. She has enjoyed meeting a whole new group of people.

Recap is a member group of Environment Network Manawatū and Palmerston North Repair Cafe is one of its projects. Find out more at recap.org.nz and on Facebook.